Lone Wolf
by Lil'Conqueror
Summary: Ayano Shimazu swore to herself she wouldn't get attached to anyone again. She was a fighter, a survivor, and she wouldn't allow anyone to hold her down over the fact that she was a woman with a sword in her hand. However, the past is brought to the surface and she is faced with the last person she thought she'd ever see again.
1. Lone Wolf

**A\N:** If you've played Shall We Date: Ninja Love, then I shouldn't have to explain any of the characters. If not, you should definitely download the app! I think it's only from the Apple Store though. Um, other than that, not much else to say at this point. Game goes to its rightful owner. I hold no power over the game or the characters except for my OC's. Questions? Feel free to leave a review and or PM me! Enjoy! ~ x

**Lone Wolf.**

**_Chapter One: The Lone Wolf._**

* * *

Truthfully, I wasn't sure what had even drawn me to this area to begin with. I had made a perfectly good living on the other side of the country, bringing in bandits for a lump sum of money or if need be, deposing them from this world. I wasn't one to judge, of course. I didn't particularly fancy those who brought nothing but pain and suffering to the table. I was merely tying up loose ends. Never mind the fact that the _loose end _was their life.

It had been this way for a number of years.

I would journey across the land, collecting my bounties along the way. I wasn't much good for anything else honestly. A collection of men, mostly my clients, wondered why I was in such a profession. Not quite a bodyguard but not teetering on the edge of an assassin either. Actually, the people had begun to give me my own name. One I'd surprisingly found in the BINGO Book. I had a colorful bounty upon my own head, but not for the reasons you'd think. I wasn't a monster like the majority of those vermin in that book.

I was merely to be feared.

Any and all who opposed me were struck down within record time. Although, no one dared to step up to the plate to take me down. Those who've tried did not meet a merciful end. I had zero patience for scavengers who were looking to make quick gold.

But men were insistent. Despite my efforts to warn them over their ignorance that would ultimately end their precious life, they still pressed forward to slay me. I could only surmise that men only thought with one of two things at different times.

The appendage between their legs and their greedy little minds.

They wanted money, women, and all the power they could get their grubby little hands on.

It was disgusting to say the least and I did not even attempt to hide the revulsion upon the countless men who stood before me. I closed my eyes and tried to erase those unnecessary thoughts from my head.

"Another round, Miss. Shimazu?" A voice sounded in front of me and slowly opening my eyes, I was met with an elderly man.

I smiled softly. "Perhaps one more, Kinato."

The old man nodded his head and tilted the jug of sake into my empty cup.

"Treating yourself lovely tonight, are we?" He spoke conversationally, a hint of wonder laced in his voice.

We both knew what he was referring to. It was only rare that I'd consume more than a cup of rice wine and now I was reaching my fourth cup, filled to the brim with the not unpleasant liquid.

I shrugged casually.

"Hard day?" He guessed, leaning most of his weight onto the bar for support.

I often wondered why he ran this bar in his ripe old age. Even on numerous occasions, I'd ask him why he didn't just hire some younger folk to work under his supervision. His answer was always the same;

_"If you want something done right, you do it yourself."_

While I could understand his reason, I still thought it foolish to strain himself over this unsightly job. The building itself could use a lot of renovations, but despite bringing in customers, was actually doing poorly money-wise. I merely came because Kinato was a good conversationalist, if not a little too overly friendly. I knew he meant well, but I often wondered how he managed to sustain his life for so long being so damn pushy about ones past.

I pushed my bangs out of my face before answering him.

"I made a good tip off of my previous client." And I left it at that. I knew Kinato was always curious about what I did for a living and luckily for me, he never bothered to listen to street gossip. I knew I had a reliable source in this old man and I did well not to take it for granted.

Kinato squinted at me through half lidded eyes and exhaled heavily, huffing in almost annoyance. I smiled.

"Well, I'm glad anyways. You always have me worried, young lady. As often as I see you around, you always look dead on your feet." He murmured, reaching over the bar and smoothing his hand over my own comfortingly. My first instinct was to twist his wrist but I refrained and patiently waited for him to let go of me.

"You worry too much, old man." I chided softly. I used my free hand to grasp my cup and bring it to my lips.

He snorted and withdrew his hand. I forced myself to relax my posture, realizing I was no longer being touched.

"Not often enough apparently." He motioned to my person.

I shook my head, my ash blonde hair moving with the motion. I knew Kinato was getting closer to me as the days went by and I feared that something bad was going to become of it. I didn't like making attachments. I was acutely aware of the fact that every hello ended with goodbye and I didn't particularly favor the latter. I had tried my best to keep my distance but like I've said, all men were insistent. Age was but a number.

Finally, Kinato waved me off and I sighed tiredly as other people came to the bar, ordering this and that. Despite what he said, Kinato made me more exhausted by conversation than my enemies did by attacks.

Silently, I finished the rest of my sake. Kinato had been far too busy to come back and continue our conversation and I was grateful for that. Swiftly standing up, I took out a generous amount of coins and placed them in my now vacant spot. Kinato hated accepting more than the price I drank but it wasn't like I couldn't afford it and I'd much rather spend it for him than myself. Some would call it selfless. I, however, wished to see his bar in far better shape than it currently was in. He often spoke of just how upbeat and lively it use to be in his youth, now it was pathetic at best. His adamant expression he wore when speaking of the memory left me to hope that such a dream could possibly happen once more. Which is why I didn't care about the hefty tip I always left him with. He could complain all he wanted to. It was my money and I would spend it how I saw fit.

Stretching out my knotted limbs, I then made my way out of the bar. The sun had barely set an hour ago and yet, the townspeople were walking around and laughing like nothing mattered. As if they hadn't a care in the world.

Hearing their joyous laughter and witnessing their smiling faces left a dull ache in the center of my chest. Instinctively, I grasped at the front of my kimono. In that moment a familiar smirking face enveloped my thoughts and it was all I could do to blink back the tears.

_'Stop it!' _I told myself, clenching my eyes shut tightly.

This happened more times than I was willing to admit. The same thoughts. The same man.

Forcing movement to my legs, I walked briskly away from the bar and away from the souls crowded in the streets.

"Pull yourself together, girl." I scolded myself, taking deep breaths to try and calm myself. "No sense in wallowing in the past. You can't change it anyway." I muttered, standing up straight when the pain began to subside.

I began to head towards the edge of the town to the Inn that I had come across every now and again whilst paying attention to the talk around town. It wasn't anything too exciting. A few couples were gushing about the men in town. Another group of people were gossiping about one person or another. All irrelevant to my knowledge.

But it was only when I started to walk by a small Tea House did I find myself slowing my pace until I came to a complete stop altogether. Two women were seated outside on a wooden bench, sipping gingerly on their tea and sharing some dango. Innocent to any common folk but it was their conversation that had me stopping a little ways away to listen.

"Those Oda men are really wretched souls." The one women with short and choppy black hair spoke to her friend. It was nothing but hushed whispers but I could hear them plain as day. "How much more can they take from us before we are left with utterly nothing?"

I blinked slowly.

_'Oda men? She must be talking about Nobunaga and his henchmen.' _I surmised with an affirmative nod, tuning back in quickly so I wouldn't miss a thing.

The other woman nodded gravely.

"They say the Kusunoki Princess has been found though." She replied, tilting her head back slightly in thought.

"What good will the Princess do? I heard she is merely there for support to the ninja's."

_'Ninja's?' _I gasped quietly, my eyes wide in shock. Another wave of pain shot through my chest though I tried with certain difficulty to ignore it.

"I think her role is more than just for support." The second woman said defensively, her tone scolding her friend.

Her friend shook her head vigorously.

"Even so, how can they hope to match the Oda? It's stupid to think so otherwise!"

The girl scoffed. "How can you think like that? Have you no faith?"

It was silent for several moments. So much so that I had to strain my neck to make sure the women were still seated; But as I turned my neck to look, I noticed a tall, blonde haired man. His attire was a lot more different then those of the town men and I realized instantly he was not one of them.

"Hey, what are you girls talking about?!" He yelled, his forest green eyes glaring daggers down at them.

The women yelped loudly, shrinking back in fear as the man towered over them. I clenched my jaw and was about to go to their defense when all of a sudden, another girl gripped his arm from behind, her timid voice barely reaching my ears.

"S-Sasuke-sama, what're you doing? Don't scare them!"

She was particularly small in stature, looking almost like a child from this distance. She had dark brown hair tied professionally in a bun atop her head, a few loose strains framing her face. She wore such fine robes that I would have guessed her to be nobility, though they seemed to have been weighing her down.

I stared on at the duo in silence.

The man she called Sasuke looked down at her in shock.

"Didn't you hear them? They were talking crap about you, Emiko-chan!"

The women looked on at the couple as well. Their expressions mixed with horror as well as realization.

"_Ku-Kusunoki Princess?_" One of the women asked in terrifying shock, a hand hovering over her mouth.

I narrowed my eyes at the name.

_'Is this the Kusunoki Princess they were speaking of earlier?' _

"We really weren't!" The other woman tried to rationalize, her tone scared beyond belief that I thought she was going to break down and cry. "We were just gossiping. Nothing more, I swear!"

The blonde man turned back towards the women, his face contorted to controlled rage and yet his posture was more relaxed if anything. The hand on his arm seemed to have been the cause of that.

"Sasuke, _please_." I watched in slight amusement as the young girl dropped the honorific, her voice ringing through everyone's ears. Her tone was demanding yet I could hear the faint undertone of desperation.

Without wasting anymore time, she started to pull him in the opposite direction, towards me. I slid further back into the shadows of the alley way and watched with sudden interest as the couple bypassed my location.

"They were talking down on your ability to lead the Ninja! How could I sit back and let them do that?!" Sasuke droned on.

The young girl to be known as Emiko looked at Sasuke from over her shoulder. She looked relatively calm but I could see the high amount of doubt deep within her eyes. What the women had said really had effected her more than she would let on.

"If I allowed the opinion of others to sway my train of thought, I wouldn't be suitable as the Kusunoki Princess now would I?" Her tone spoke volumes of finality and despite myself, I smiled.

Sasuke continued to grumble under his breath but did not speak against her any further. I watched as they both walked away, heading towards the forest.

I had been traveling for a very long time and yet, I'd never come across a shred of detail following the Oda Army taking over. Not even a single rumor up until now. I had buried myself in work provided by clients who either wished to rule the land themselves or desired to remove whomever was in power. Either way, it left little me-time and not much for anything else.

I glanced in the direction the man and girl wandered off to before shifting my gaze to the vacant spot where the women once sat.

_"Will ye ever enlighten an old man on what binds you to this land?"_

I pursed my lips together and moved out of the alley. The moon was glowing in the darkness, the stars scattered across the vast sky. It had gotten late. Fingering the hilt of my sword wrapped around my waist, I flashed my eyes around the surrounding area.

Perhaps I wasn't any better.

_"What binds you to this land?"_

I smiled darkly at the words Kinato had spoken to me what felt like ages ago. I was a woman, they said. I shouldn't be slaughtering people for pay. My body was meant for the life of a housewife, a geisha even.

_"You're a woman! Just shut up and let me protect you!"_

No.

I decided long ago I would not be that person. I would never be just a _woman_. I was a solider. A fighter. I had committed countless murders with my own hands for the price of money under strict orders. _  
_

I was the _Lone Wolf_.


	2. Second Meetings

**Chapter Two; Second Meetings.**

* * *

In the dead of night, I sat stiffly with my back against the bark of the tree, high above the ground. It was a good look out point for the couple that had set up camp for the night. Honestly, I was ashamed to even be on this mission. My client, who had been a wealthy old man and his wife, had sent me out to rid of two young men who had been terrorizing their palace as of late. Having had assumed those that would even attempt such a thing would be capable of defending themselves in case they were to be found out, I had prepared for an actual battle.

However, once I found the duo my client had told me about, I was severely disappointed.

They were nothing more than common thieves, just random smugglers who had nothing better to do with their lives. I had been on their trail for a few hours now, watching and waiting to see if anyone else would come upon them, whether it be friend or foe, but _nothing_.

They were laughing amongst themselves, cracking jokes about my client and his wife. They were drunk off of the rich sake they stole and looked completely out of wack. I groaned to myself. Was I really going to lower myself to dealing with these idiots? Sure, I was already paid half up front, but regardless, even _I _had standards.

Mentally, I went over my client's previous words on my mission.

"He said to decapitate them, although..." I trailed off quietly, glancing down below me to see the two looking as ridiculous as ever. "Maybe I can just scare them enough where they won't bother the couple anymore."

After that thought passed through my mind, I shook my head. I couldn't do that. I was given strict orders to kill them, leave their existence to the hounds. I wasn't sure when my requests had gotten so low that I was now being asked to kill off hooligans, but this was really grating on my nerves. For a moment, I sat there in silence. My mind had gone elsewhere, drowning out the boisterous voices of down below.

It had been a few days since I'd seen that Ninja and Kusunoki Princess. After having watched them leave the village, I had decided to build up a little more money for travel and had taken it upon myself to get more information on what was going on with Oda Army and such. I had found out quite a lot shockingly, it had surprised me how little I was aware of what was going on.

The Ninja's had taken up gaining reinforcements as well as training their leader of the Ninja; that girl, the Kusunoki Princess. From what I gathered, she had just been an ordinary temple girl before she was chosen as the Ninja's Princess. I honestly felt sorry for the girl; I had chose the path of destruction for myself, she however, had no choice.

And yet-

_"If I allowed the opinion of others to sway my train of thought, I wouldn't be suitable as the Kusunoki Princess now would I?"_

I lowered my eyes to my knees. They were slightly scuffed up, small bruises from my harsh training beforehand. I rubbed them gently, putting a little feeling back into them. It was odd, to be honest. How strong that girl appeared though it was so obvious to myself that she was scared beyond her wits. They had definitely picked out the right girl for the job but I still felt sorry for her.

Suddenly, movement to the far right, just beyond the two I had been watching, I'd heard the ruffle of bushes and quiet voices. The two below me were far too unaware of their surroundings to have heard a thing, however.

"This is crazy, can't we just buy another broach?" A male voice asked in a hushed whisper.

My ears perked up and I readied myself on the branch I'd been sitting on, a hand on the hilt of my sword.

"N-No! I told you, Hanzo got that for me! If he knew I lost it, I wouldn't be able to face him again." A softer voice replied, almost angelic like. A girl.

I narrowed my eyes and watched in silence as the voices drew nearer until the unknown man suddenly swore just as the girl had yelped and fell into the open. I froze.

_'It's her!' _I thought inwardly, eyes wide in shock.

"W-What the hell?" One of the men below me hiccuped, staggering to get up as he saw the girl fall before them.

"Emiko-chan!" And then the blonde haired boy I'd seen with her the other day came forward, crouching beside her to help her up while simultaneously glaring at the two men they had chanced upon.

I bit my lower lip, watching in pained silence at the scene before me.

"She's r-really pretty, eh K-Kito-san?" The one man spoke, laughing to himself and nudging his friend.

The man named Kito squinted into the dark, his vision a lot blurrier from the alcohol as well. He then smirked and slapped his friend back.

"A-Ah, Haru-san. But l-look-" He pointed towards the two in front of them. "S-She has a boy_friend_."

Emiko gasped and clung to the blonde boy, whispering something too low for even I to hear. I gripped the hilt of my sword tighter, my knuckles going pale. For some reason, the thought of attacking them now was more of a reluctant feeling fore I didn't want her to witness such a violent act. I shook my head to rid such thoughts and decided to wait until the absolute best moment to attack.

Haru grunted and shook his head before looking back at his friend. "N-No. That's _obviously _an ape! L-Look at him, K-Kito-san!"

Raising a quizzical brow, I looked to the blonde man and surprisingly, he did have a little bit of the features of a monkey. I smirked to myself, trying to contain my amusement.

"What did you just say?!" He stood up, shaking off Emiko's hold on his kimono. He began grumbling, clenching his fist tightly in front of him.

I frowned, thinking him too quick to lose his temper. _'What a short fuse he has. Is he really capable of protecting the Princess?'_

Just as I thought this, he leaped forward and slugged the man known as Haru. Too drunk to hold his stance, Haru was quick to fall off his feet and landed with a hard thud on the forest floor. Their stolen goods fell out of their respective bags and across the ground. Emiko suddenly gasped and I looked towards her skeptically.

"M-My broach!" She exclaimed, pointing towards one of the fallen items from the bag.

The monkey-man looked towards where she had pointed, the small, purple butterfly broach laying openly in front of us all. Kito looked towards his fallen friend before eyeing the girl and then towards the broach.

His eyes seemed to have sparked something fore he stood a little straighter, his back more rigid.

"What're you saying, girl? That's ours!" Surprisingly, his slur was barely registered in his words and it left me curious if they were actually faking this whole thing or not.

"Y-Yeah! Finders keepers!" Haru shouted from his position on the ground.

I cleared my throat and readied my stance. This was dragging on a lot longer than I intended. Kito had made a mad dash towards Emiko. She had screamed, falling backwards in surprise. The man I remembered to be Sasuke had tried to twist his body to get to her, but Haru had wound his feet around him and ended up tripping him to fall face first to the ground.

"Emiko-chan!" Sasuke yelled and I immediately stood up.

I jumped from the tree and landed squarely between Emiko and Kito, I brought my left hand up to swipe his hands out of my face and brought my right palm up to catch his jaw and knock his head backwards. He gasped loudly, his teeth sinking into his tongue as he flew back and hit the ground hard. The yelp of pain was silently satisfying to my own ears and I slowly stood to my full height.

"K-Kito-san!" Haru yelled from his spot on the ground, quickly untangling himself from Sasuke and trying to reach his friend.

Glancing briefly over my shoulder, I gave Emiko a once over. "Are you okay?" I asked, my tone low and monotonous. Now was not the time to get all _feel-y._

Emiko stared up at me with wide, tear-filled eyes. Raising a brow, I waited almost impatiently for an answer.

"U-Um," She began lamely before quickly shaking her head and forcing her body up-right. "Y-Yes! Arigato!"

I allowed a small smile before turning back towards the matter at hand. Sasuke stood up and looked intently back at me, though I hadn't paid him much mind.

"Forgive me," I began and without looking towards him, I spoke to Sasuke, "I was ordered to take care of these two. I shouldn't have stalled so much. And now-" I quickly cut myself off, shaking my head. Kito and Haru looked at me incredulously. "This is my business. You should get her out of here."

"But-" Before Emiko could finish, Sasuke got to her side and ushered her away from the scene.

"I'll leave them to you then." He said and without another word, him and Emiko were gone.

I smirked and closed my eyes. Perhaps he wasn't all monkey then. From in front of me, I heard movement and I slowly opened my eyes. The two men were trying to pick up their fallen items with haste but I was quick to stop them.

"You two don't really believe you'll make it out of this forest with those treasures, hm?"

All at once, both of them began to beg for their lives, for their valuables. I was appalled, honestly. Did they really think I was going to allow them their lives _and _the stolen goods? I shook my head with a low chuckle.

"U-Uh-" They both fumbled for words and I walked towards them, creeping up, stretching out their time upon this earth. They shrank back and it made me wonder how the old man and his wife ever had problems with these two. They were just common thieves, looking to make quick gold.

"Are you going to kill them?" A voice suddenly asked from behind me and I spun around on my heel, facing the girl I thought had escaped already.

Sasuke had come up from behind her, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "Emiko-chan..." He trailed off, unable to meet my penetrating gaze as well.

I fingered the hilt of my sword and eyed her warily. "You're the Kusunoki Princess, correct?"

Surprised, her lips parted and she looked at me for a moment before nodding her head mutely. Staring impassively back at her, I then shifted my gaze to the duo behind me. They looked ready to pass out in fear, pleading with their eyes that I spare them.

Perhaps they'd found their loophole.

Sighing, a pushed my bangs out of my face and looked up at the sky. It was nearing the time I was suppose to be done with these two. The men my client was suppose to send out would be here soon to check up on my progress. These two were suppose to be dead.

Looking back down at the fallen items, I made to pick up the purple butterfly broach, the two men flinched as if I had stricken them. I smirked and turned back towards Emiko.

"You said this is yours?" I held out the broach and Emiko's face lit up.

"Arigato!" She spoke again, her smile stretching from ear to ear.

She truly was a little girl taking on the position as Leader of the Ninja. I smiled back and handed it to her.

Abruptly, I heard the pounding of feet against the ground and I looked away from her. They were here.

"You two need to leave, now. I'll take care of these guys." My voice was small yet even, leaving no room for argument as Sasuke nodded and once more, ushered Emiko away.

She gave her thanks again and retreated without another protest. Staring down at the thieves, I sighed and decided it best to knock them out for the men coming for their bodies.

* * *

"You did not kill them." My client, Hoshiyomi, stated, his sunken gray eyes looking down at me from his position at the head of his throne.

I bowed politely, my blonde bangs covering my eyes.

"My apologies, Lord Hoshiyomi." I spoke, my entire body rigid as I addressed my client. You were to never show emotion upon speaking with your employer. It was just one of those ordeals you never did. "I thought it best these criminals were to be properly punished for their crimes by personally being sentenced by yourself."

The Misses, Lady Suki, looked upon our interaction with mild interest.

"Is that so?" Hoshiyomi asked, raising a quizzical brow.

He wasn't an unfair man, by any means. But I could tell he wasn't use to people going against his word fore he thought it to be final. Personally, I've never went back on my mission given by a client, I've never had any reason to. However, seeing Emiko's face in my mind as she asked me if I was going to kill the two men or not was something I couldn't quite shake.

I did not look up as I said, "As compensation for not filling out the rest of my duty, you may keep the other half of the payment."

Having not said anything since the meeting started, Lady Suki spoke up, "I believe that to be fair enough. Hoshiyomi?"

Her husband was silent for a moment, merely staring down at me in deep thought before he sighed altogether and stood up.

"I will accept it. I give you my gratitude for capturing the thieves. You're dismissed."

I nodded my head and stood up. I bid them both a good evening and turned on my heel to leave. However, before I could make my way out the door, Hoshiyomi's voice stopped me in my tracks.

"One question, _Wolf_." Inwardly, I flinched.

Outwardly, I blinked. "Yes, Milord?"

"Any particular reason you did not carry out the rest of your order?"

I grunted and squared my shoulders.

"They were just common thieves, death would have been too kind a punishment." I replied and quickly walked out of the room.

I cared not if he believed me. Hoshiyomi wasn't a horrible man, not in the slightest. But his presence was a little unsettling despite his age and I didn't feel the need to loiter any further. I had my payment, my justification, his approval meant nothing to me. What he wanted to do with the thieves was up to him now, I had no further say nor did I actually give a damn.

Walking out of the compound, I made my way down the streets in perturbed silence.

_'The Kusunoki Princess...' _I hummed to myself, her face flashing in and out of my mind. I had so many questions on the tip of my tongue, anxiously waiting to be asked. _'I think it's about time to properly meet this Leader of the Ninja's.' _I thought with a smile on my face.


	3. Old Faces

**A\N: **I am so sorry for the long wait. I had lost a lot of my inspiration with this story... BUT, I eventually sat down and thought of how I wanted this fic to go and THUS, chapter three has been born. I'm odd, I know. Please enjoy! x

**Chapter Three; Old Faces.**

* * *

Goemon Ishikawa felt restless. Despite word that the Oda Army were raising their defenses for an all out attack on the Ninja, Hanzo had pointedly ignored every voice of reason to attack before they could. As such, there had not been much to do around the village. Even hanging around some of the ladies in town was beginning to bore him to tears.

"How could Emiko choose that fool to accompany her into the next town over?" He grumbled to himself, crossing his arms over his chest angrily.

Truthfully, Goemon wasn't sure what the hell Hanzo even saw in making that _monkey _tag along with the Princess. It seemed risky and unreasonable. She needed someone who could, confidently, protect her. Sasuke was an idiot that was passed off as a Ninja. He wasn't safe, even on his own.

From his perch on a nearby tree, Goemon cracked open an eye to peer down below him. The townsfolk were running around, hollering about one thing or another. With all the voices blended perfectly together, Goemon was unsure what the hell any of them were saying.

"Oi, Goemon!" Another voice yelled from below and without warning, a single kunai flew through the air and sailed towards him.

With reflexes of that of a Ninja, Goemon flipped out of the tree and landed squarely beside his attacker.

"What the hell, Saizo?!" He yelled, glaring at the dark haired Ninja.

He merely got a smirk in reply and Saizo quickly spun on his heel. "They're back. Hanzo has requested a meeting."

With an outward groan, Goemon followed after Saizo wordlessly. Upon entering the shrine, however, they were met with a hyperactive Princess and a blushing Ninja.

"If not for her, we surely would not have made it back uninjured!" Emiko gushed merrily, the excitement shattering her bones as she gleefully bounced in place.

Goemon and Saizo looked at each other before their eyes met the scene once again.

Sasuke laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head as he said, "W-Well, it's not like we were in any _real _danger- Um, Hanzo?"

To himself, Saizo smirked. The Princess had been going on and on about how they were attacked and the look on their Leader's face was priceless. He looked as if he were about to implode at any moment, but Emiko continued on undisturbed. Goemon stepped forward, a sly grin on his face as he tossed his arm around Emiko's shoulders.

"Hm, what's that, Princess?" He asked, batting his eye lashes demurely. "You were almost _killed_?" He gave a sideways glance to Sasuke, who looked about ready to keel over and die, before he averted his gaze back to the Princess.

"Eh?" She asked lamely, her eye brow raised. She glanced back at Sasuke. "No, we weren't. Were you even listening, Goemon?" Emiko huffed, pulling out of his arms. "A girl was on duty and she saved us!"

At this, Saizo stepped forward. "A girl?"

Emiko spun on her heel and flashed a smile. "Yep! It was really cool how quickly she came in and took care of the bandits!"

"U-Uh, Emiko-chan!" Sasuke suddenly grabbed her and pulled her off to the side, mumbling something quietly into her ear.

Emiko blushed, her face going completely red in embarrassment.

"But y-ya know, we were fine! I mean, e-even if s-she wasn't there, I'm sure that-"

"Too late." Goemon laughed, clutching his stomach.

Hanzo, who had been quiet the entire time, abruptly sighed and stood up, leaving whatever papers he had been looking over beforehand off to the side. He walked up to Emiko and smiled gently, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Well, as long as you're safe, Princess."

Goemon looked takenaback. That was not what he had expected. Of course, maybe Sasuke would receive a different approach once Emiko was out of the room. He waited almost impatiently for Hanzo to dismiss her to get some rest and watched in earnest as Hanzo went up to Sasuke, his smile that he had been sporting with the Princess now completely gone. Goemon snickered to himself quietly. Saizo rolled his eyes and turned his back, arms crossed to his chest.

"Before you say anything, Hanzo-" Sasuke tried to defend himself, he truly did, but it was as if Hanzo wasn't having any of that fore he glared at him so harshly he fell into silence.

Usually, Hanzo wasn't as cruel as one would expect of their Leader; However, when it came to the protection of the Princess, Hanzo was not to be taken lightly.

Finally, after a moment of silence, Hanzo parted his lips and said, "Who were you protecting?"

Sasuke's answer was almost immediate.

"Emiko-chan..."

Hanzo glared.

"_Who _were you protecting?"

Sasuke visibly shook and swallowed thickly.

"The Princess." He tried again, his eyes thrown to the floor in sudden interest.

"The Princess?"

Sasuke bit his lower lip in shame. "The Kusunoki Princess!"

Goemon could barely control himself as he watched Hanzo chew Sasuke out. It was all too much and he had to continuously bite his tongue to hold back his laughter, a little fearful of what Hanzo would do to him next if he were to utter a peep. Saizo sighed and closed his eyes. Hanzo truly was one to be feared once angered.

Abruptly, before Hanzo could say another word, the shoji doors to the room were slid open in a rush and Emiko ran inside to stand directly in front of Sasuke.

"I-It's not his fault, Hanzo-sama!" She began, her jaw clenched as she had her hands spread out defensively in front of Sasuke. Sasuke stared at the back of her head in awe as Hanzo peered down at her. "I had lost my broach, you see, a-and I begged Sasuke to help me look for it! W-We just ended up stumbling upon the two bandits without warning. Sasuke truly did protect me! And I didn't get hurt, so..." She suddenly trailed off, her shoulders shaking like she was about to cry.

Goemon's posture relaxed and he averted his gaze. _'So much for all that fun.' _He thought with a small grimace. Saizo, who had been standing off to the side with his back turned upon the scene, suddenly turned back around and looked to Hanzo.

"True to her word, Miss Emiko doesn't appear to be injured in any way. Sasuke seems to have done his job flawlessly."

At this, Hanzo averted his gaze in frustration. That was true. The Princess was only suppose to come back without wounds or any signs of distressed. Saizo was right; Sasuke had done his job accordingly as her appointed guardian.

Hanzo sighed deeply before he placed his large hand atop Emiko's head. He smiled softly down at her. "You truly are the Kusunoki Princess."

She beamed up at him sheepishly and from behind her, Sasuke, who had been stunned into silence, relaxed his body and smiled too.

"All for a broach, is that right?" Hanzo asked with a chuckle.

Emiko shook off his hand and reached into her kimono, pulling out the butterfly broach. "Of course! It's the one you gave to me when I came to the castle!" She responded quickly, showing him the broach.

His eyes widened considerably and then he laughed, reaching out to muss her hair. She pouted and pulled herself away, trying to fix her now unruly hair.

All of a sudden, there was a shouting being heard from out in the courtyard, alerting everyone in the room to an intruder. Goemon and Saizo quickly looked to Hanzo, who immediately ushered Emiko into the other room.

"This time, _watch her_." He ordered Sasuke, glaring as he readied his own weapon that was laid beside the table he had been previously seated at.

Wordlessly, Sasuke moved to follow Emiko into the next room, a hand on his own weapon in caution. Saizo shot to the shoji door, pulling it back ever so slightly to peek out of.

"Can you see anything?" Hanzo whispered, kneeling behind Saizo, his hand at the ready.

Goemon loomed over the two, trying to peer out at the scenery as best he could through the crack in the shoji doors. At the sight before him, his eyes shot wide open and his mouth fell open.

_'It couldn't be-'_

* * *

I sighed for what felt like the millionth time since stepping foot in the Compound. Honestly, this was getting ridiculous. I merely wanted to see the Kusunoki Princess; there was no reason for all these guards bombarding me with stupid questions and brandishing their weapons. Hadn't I laid down my own sword beforehand? I had my hands raised and it was obvious that I came in peace. All of this was clearly uncalled for and I had demanded to speak with their Head Leader.

"_Woman, _you're trespassing. You're to leave immediately!" One of the guards standing defensively before me shouted, his spear held up firmly in front of him.

I could have laughed. His posture was all wrong and you could clearly see his hands were placed on uneven ends of the spear. Whoever was teaching these men to fight was probably just as new to it as them.

Having made my way into the courtyard, I could tell they weren't gonna let me any closer to the Mansion and so I ignored them completely and stared hard at the shoji doors where I could feel someone behind, watching me.

"I know you're there." I called out, pointedly ignoring the men in front of me as they went back into an uproar. "As I've told your men here, I come baring no ill-will. Please order them to stand down already." My tone had dropped to an irritated groan and I waited almost impatiently for a response of some kind.

It had been a full two and a half minutes before the shoji doors had slowly slid open to reveal some fresh new faces. A man with dark blue hair stepped forth, his sword sheathed despite the men before him still in their improper stance.

Before I could say anything further to the new face, his narrowed eyes sharpened and he came to stand before his men.

"State your name and the reason for your trespassing."

His tone was direct and impassive, as if he held any sort of power over me. The sound immediately irked me, though I did my best to keep myself in check. Relaxing my posture and biting my tongue, I lowered my head in a gesture of respect.

"My name is Kida Ishada and I've-"

"She's lying." A new voice suddenly rang out, interrupting me.

I snapped my head back up and was left utterly speechless at the sight of an all too familiar man standing just outside the shoji doors. Deep red hair and chocolate brown eyes. I gasped, taking a single step back in shock. The blue haired man paused and turned around towards the voice as well.

"Goemon?" He asked, cocking his head to the side curiously.

Before he could continue, another voice penetrated the tense air. This time, one I immediately recognized. The female screech of what could have been mistaken for a child had shot forward and the one to be known only as the Kusunoki Princess emerged from behind the Ninja.

She shot forward just as the blonde male that had accompanied her beforehand tried to stop her. "It's you! You're the woman who saved us!"

Without warning, she had rushed forward and crashed into me, knocking us both over. Everyone had froze on the spot as their Princess ended up in the arms of what could have been an enemy. She, however, was happy-go-lucky as she chatted adamantly to me, though I was far too dizzy to understand a single word that left her lips.

"P-Princess!"

"Emiko-chan!"

"W-What the-"

Even I was at lost for what to do. In the next moment, she quickly got up, dusted herself off and then reached down to help me up as well. Without uttering a peep, I took her outstretched hand and got up. Turning on her heel, she glared at all the men who had previously been ready to cut my head off from trespassing.

"Just what do you men think you're doing?!" She glowered hotly; the sight of her enraged face could have made me laugh outwardly, but I managed to control myself as she lectured them. "I don't care if she had to push her way through the gates. She came here to see _me, _didn't she? She is my honored guest _and _a lady! Where are your manners?!"

The men quickly withdrew their weapons and began spurting out apologies and other nonsense, to which she merely turned her cheek on them and grabbed my hand, pulling me along past them.

Without another look back, she demanded, "Have the handmaidens prepare some tea and dumplings. That is all."

With a chorus of "yes ma'am" all around us, we made our way past them. The blue haired male had followed closely behind us, just in case my intentions were not as pure as the Princess would have thought. However, as soon as we began to bypass Goemon, all thought seemed to have left me and I was merely a doll being dragged along by her owner.

* * *

_A battlefield filled with countless bodies and rotting flesh. Blood and gore strewn about. It was chaos, in all of it's natural glory. Or, not really. It was horrifying to say the least. And still, the battle raged on without another thought of the pointlessness of it all. _

_"You're a woman! Just shut up and let me protect you!" _

_His words still rung through my ears, his face flashing in my mind. I had wanted to fight, to protect those precious to me as well. But when push came to shove, I could do nothing except pester those willing to do the deed and end a life of someone who could have had their own things to protect. It was wrong and unjust, but I could not say anything on the matter. This was war and we were merely pawns on this battlefield, held together by a higher power. We were nothing._

_But I had wanted to change that. I didn't have any special abilities whatsoever, but I had the mind of someone willing to lay down their life and the eyes filled with determination to set things straight. _

_Unfortunately, I was always being held back. He thought he was doing me a favor; he told me to just sit back and do what every woman she be doing, leaving the fighting up to the men, playing it safe back in the village. It was wrong. It was all wrong and I didn't believe in any of it. I couldn't even pick up a sword without having it all thrown in my face and kicked out of camp. _

_It was then on that I had swore to myself that I would not sit back and allow others to lay down their life for me. I was a woman, yes, but I was not going to let that hinder my ability to fight. _

_That night, the woman in me died along with her love for that man. I migrated across the country, picked up armor and a weapon to protect myself, I had made a living off of the bounties of wanted men, and not once, not even for a second did I feel the need to rely on anyone else but myself. _

_The next thing I vowed to myself after I grew in strength and power, was that the next time I ever saw that man again, I would defeat him._


End file.
